Most of us know that branding plays a role in some of the most successful companies around the globe. Story Brand helps you understand your brand's story to such an extent that you too can market yourself just as well as a company like Apple.
Do you struggle to get proper focus when photographing the stars at night? Has nothing you tried worked for you? Then this video will help with your astrophotography aspirations.
More often than not, we get the product out of the box, toss the manual, and find out the settings as we go along. It's 2019 and things should be intuitive.
It's rare to watch a video that claims to reveal new tricks in Adobe Photoshop that aren't actually just fairly intermediate techniques. However, this is one that passes the test.
While the rage may be LED lights and very portable strobes, it is still hard to beat the ease and simplicity of good old speedlights. Most of us have at least one, if not more in our camera bag, and I always carry two of them with me whenever I’m shooting. So, why not dust off those speedlights and brush up on some great ways to use them with this great video?
Ten years ago I decided to start using filters for my landscape photography again. In those days the best choice was Hitech or Lee, and I chose the latter. I was very content with those filters and I shot many beautiful landscapes with it. But ten years left some serious traces of use. It was time to replace the filters… I chose Kase filters.
I thought I'd never understand this one photo series I saw over a decade ago; it was so popular but seemed so bland to me. What I realize now is the content of images aren't the most interesting part and in fact, the project has a lesson all photographers could learn from.
I’ve been pondering on how to answer a challenging question. I was first asked the question by an Fstoppers reader a few weeks ago. Since then, I’ve been asked the same question by two different potential clients. In this article, I’m going to attempt to answer, "what is my approach to architectural photography?"
Silverware can be really pretty, but it can also be a complete pain in the you know what when it comes time to photograph it. This great video tutorial will give you numerous helpful tips to deal with distracting reflections on silverware.
The benefits of having your own blog are myriad, and for all intents and purposes, there is an unlimited amount of information on why. However, the main obstacle isn't "why," but "how".
In the photo industry, women don't always get the credit they deserve. So here are 12 amazing female wedding photographers that you should be following, but probably aren't.
New gear is always fun to work with, however a new piece of glass is not going to make you a better photographer. Many new photographers feel the urge to buy the latest gear thinking it will improve their skills. Learning how to work with what you have, learning new techniques, or even changing directions for a new desired genre is far more important than that latest camera announcement.
There are two basic models for licensing photography. One is suggested by most professional photography societies and organizations while the other is decried as an unfair and unsustainable model by the same groups. For the past six years I’ve licensed my images using the unpopular model. In this article, I’ll explain why.
The results from macro photography, when well done, can be spectacular as a dazzling, miniature world comes to life. Check out this great video to learn how to use any lens to get started with macro photography immediately.
Making that jump to full time professional photographer is incredibly daunting. Hopefully, by learning some of my biggest mistakes, you can avoid them entirely.
Even though we spend more and more time on social media and other networking platforms, email is still by far the best and most useful way to grow your business and get your work out there. So what platforms are you using in 2019?
We need a new PC for our new studio in Puerto Rico and for this build, we are going all out.
For me, flat lays are the king of food photography. Telling a story with a large flat lay is a challenge, here is how I approach it.
I have been using The ColourMapX panel extensively and a caveat of it led me to further dig into something I rarely used before, clipping adjustment layers to other adjustment layers. Doing so greatly enhances my experience with this panel, but honestly with any type of adjustment.
One of the most fundamental skills anyone shooting portraits should have is a good understanding of basic retouching. This helpful video will show you everything you need to know to effectively retouch portraits in Photoshop.
Are you looking for something inspirational to watch during your editing sessions or maybe want to learn more about the history of photography and the big names in it? Here's a good list of a variety of shows, documentaries, and movies about photography.
Almost weekly I see an article online or a comment about how cheap photographers are undermining the industry or that they are ruining it for us.
Portraits are a great way to reflect professionalism. As a portrait photographer, what are the things that you can ensure to get the best for your clients? There are a few important areas that you have to pay attention to as a portrait photographer. Here is a quick article that discusses on how to arrive at the perfect professional portrait.
If you want to showcase your work on more than just social media and perhaps even start selling your images, you need to have a portfolio website. So what's the best option to get something professional, cost effective and functional up quickly?
Cleaning your camera sensor is a crucial part of being a photographer and it isn't as scary or as expensive as you may think. Learn about these various tools and techniques before your next shoot.
Changing the color of an object in your image is fairly simple in Photoshop. However, if the object you want to change is white, it can be challenging to give it a new hue in a realistic fashion. But there is a way to do it, and do it quickly.
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to shooting portraits is posing the subject. You might have all the lights set and the background lit, but ultimately it all comes down to posing the subject perfectly to get best results. In this video, Miguel Quiles shares an interesting trick on how to pose almost anyone.
Convincing potential clients that you’re worth what you charge is a scary prospect. It means believing in yourself enough to stick to your guns. If you’ve had a hard time convincing clients to pay what you charge, here are a few ways that may help raise your success rate when asking for a sale.
Whenever we see an amazing image, the first thing that pops into our heads is "that's an amazing shot! It must be Photoshopped!" In this behind the scenes breakdown, see how Alexis Cuarezma created these dramatic colorful portraits using effects that were all done in camera.
Many photographers quickly move on from umbrellas, because they can seem very hard to control and a bit unwieldy. However, umbrellas can be surprisingly versatile, and this great video will show you five ways to use them in your photos.
If you want to keep your business relevant or have that breakthrough year you’ve been dreaming of, you need to have a plan in place that continually attracts quality clients. Here is where you can find them in 2019.
Client experience is one of the most important pieces of running a successful business. Kara Marie is known throughout the industry as a successful boudoir photographer, not only for her stellar imagery, but also for the experience she gives to each of her clients. Michael Sasser had the chance to interview Marie to find out just what it takes to provide this service to her clients.
Do you find that you’re a better creative while under the influence of drugs or alcohol? This article explores why substance abuse is so common among artist and explores less harmful alternatives.
As the old business adage goes: "not planning is planning to fail." It's time to get serious about your photography or videography in 2019, with an effective and actionable goal planner. Here's what mine looks like.
It's almost 2019, meaning that it's the best time to update all of our information and branding. New logos, new website designs, new profile pictures, and to go along with all of that, brand new business cards!
High ISO is usually meant to be used when there's not enough light. However, there are cases when you have to take it up from its minimum value even when the sun is bright.
In a field crowded with options, there is no better value for the money than the Fuji X-T3.
Famed celebrity stylist and creative director Jason Bolden and his team approached photographer Nathalie Gordon with an idea to shoot a campaign for their newly launched sunglasses brand JSN.
I have to admit, when I first saw the Loupedeck on Indiegogo two years ago, I wrote it off, but after trying it, I now realize just how incredible this piece of hardware can be for photographers.
In this behind the scenes article, see how I set up my studio in the athletics office of my school and shot a series of intense portraits of my college football team.
One of the most popular genres of photography and perhaps one of the best for beginners to try is portraiture. This great video will give you a quick guide to planning a successful portrait photoshoot.
It's always refreshing to me to get behind the scenes and see how some cool images are made. Then, to realize that the only light source was a cell phone LED along with a few props, I realized that my studio needs a shopping trip.
One of the first things I learned early on after becoming a full-time photographer is the importance of establishing a diversity of revenue streams. I’m not a traditional commercial photographer whose brand is predominantly focused in one area, or specialty, such as booking client gigs (weddings, maternity, etc), shooting products photography for companies, or catering to the swath of people who need headshots.
The mall, removed. The cheesy decor, gone. The long lines, nope. Santa Sessions have become all-the-rage and photographers are making these shoots more of a high end experience. I witnessed a shoot first hand and to be honest, $10k seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s what I learned.
One of the most useful pieces of lighting gear a studio photographer can have doesn't actually have a light in it. Check out how v-flats can help you shape your light in this great video.
Adobe recently released the new version of Photoshop, and it is relatively faster and smoother than the previous versions. However, it might still crash.
When it comes to making your editing workflow as efficient as possible, customization is key. Photoshop is great but doesn't allow for very advanced workspaces with custom scripts and actions. That's until you start using the Retouching Toolkit 3.0.
I bet that you think that you are pretty good at composing your photos. You’ve been shooting for years, won some awards, nice client list. You got that part figured out. Guess what? Not only are you not “all that” but you really need to work on it. How am I so sure? Check this out.
The elusive v-flat. Once you know what a v-flat is, the next question is always: “where do I get them?” For years, photographers were sent on scavenger hunts looking for 4X8’ sheets of foam, sheets so large, truck rental was required. They were anything but portable. Until now.
It doesn't matter how long you have been a photographer, I guarantee that some of your images will suck. Question is, do you really know why they do?
